It is time for another edition of “Random Samples”–I occasionally get samples from marketing agencies and/or producers. These can often be grouped together into some sort of over-arching theme: Drink Them and It Will Come, Summer is Here, So That Means (More) Rosé, If It Doesn’t Sparkle, It Doesn’t Matter.

Other times, I get just a bottle or two that do not have any apparent connection or link. Instead of holding on to those bottles until the “right” combination comes along, I decided to link all these “random” bottles together, making their own category (and, being the math geek that I am, “random sample” has a bit of a double entendre).

2020 C.L. Butaud Cease & Desist, TX: Retail $48. This bottle has inspired me; it has changed my life. I am not talking about the contents, but rather the bottle itself. It has inspired me to start weighing bottles and, when necessary, including the weight in the tasting note. Why? In the past, I would just try to determine the weight by feel, comparing it to my past impressions of other bottles and conducting a very inexact assessment of the relative weight of the bottle. Well, this bottle is so over-the-top, so ridiculous, so obscenely wasteful that I had to actually weigh it. Two pounds, nine point seven frigging ounces. Empty. From some cursory research, I have gleaned that most consider 900 grams to be the upper end of bottle weight, the point at which the weight of the bottle reaches “ridiculous” status. That is about two pounds. This bottle is more than a half a pound more than that. Most people know the cliché “Everything is bigger in Texas” but this is utterly beyond the pale. I know that many in Texas share an inexplicable disdain for the environment, but the excess in this bottle would probably shock even some of them. The wine? It is actually pretty fantastic, one of the better wines I have had from the state where I now reside. But this is the last wine from C.L. Butaud that I will review until they “Cease and Desist” and their bottles become environmentally responsible. Ridiculous. 93 Points.

2021 Pellegrini Family Vineyards White Pinot Noir Olivet Lane Estate, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $40. Responsible bottle. Under cork. I first tasted this wine for the Seventh Annual World’s Largest Tasting of American True Rosé and I loved it then (93 Points). Somehow, I ended up with another two bottles (lucky me!) so I popped this one while my lovely wife was out of town (who says chivalry is dead?). Similar notes to the previous (Not very pink at all, more of a golden than pink. Lovely nose of melon and rhubarb with a splash of honey. Fairly rich with plenty of fruit and that honey aspect but dry. Good acidity and a lengthy, lovely finish.) but this one is also coming off as just ever-so-slightly-and-barely-perceptibly sweet. But it is so good, I really could not care any less. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2018 Rhys Chardonnay, Anderson Valley, CA: Retail $45. Responsible bottle. Under cork. I had a great online event with the folks of Rhys but I still have not procured the video of the Zoom. I didn’t take notes (since I thought I would have access to the video), but the folks at Rhys know what they are doing. With a focus on the planet, they produce fantastic wines. Case in point. Light to quite light in color in the glass with yellow delicious apple, a hint of vanilla, and just a soupçon (thank you Miles) of oak. On the palate, the oak is difficult, if not impossible to perceive. Instead, there is plenty of fruit (tart green apple), a captivating zinginess, and a lingering finish. A solid Chard, but not “typical” by any means. Fantastic. Excellent. 91 Points.

2017 Rhys Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, CA: Retail $40. Under cork. Medium color with subtle aromas of black cherry, earth, and hints of eucalyptus. Yummy. The palate is balanced and harmonious with gorgeous but somewhat reserved fruit, lovely tartness, a smidge of earthiness, and just a whole lot of verve. Yowza. This is not the type of Pinot that will knock your socks off. At least initially. But if you give this wine a bit of time, and allow for some introspection, you will be rewarded. I know I was. Excellent. 92 Points.

2020 Rombauer Vineyards Zinfandel, California: Retail $38. Heavy bottle. 98% Zinfandel, 2% Petit Sirah. OK. Here we go. I was sent this Zin as well as a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Sauvignon Blanc from this venerable winery perhaps best known for their historically opulent Chardonnay. The Cab, while big and muscular for sure, stopped short of being “opulent” but this Zin might take “opulent” to a completely different stratosphere. Rich, oaky, vanilla, and spice, this quite dark wine is a potpourri of cloying aromas. The palate mimics the nose: rich, fruity, opulent, and one more descriptor, sweet. The alcohol here is high (15.9%) and it shows on the hot finish. But how to rate this wine? I assume that the followers of Rombauer, one of the “Three R’s” of Sonoma/Napa wine country, but why does this come off as so sweet? Sure, it’s a combination of the rich fruit, the higher than average alcohol, and the overly ripe fruit flavors, but still? Not my style. Very Good. 87 Points. 

2022 Rombauer Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, North Coast, CA: Retail $30 Under screw cap. Rather pale in the glass with intense aromas of pineapple, pear, and ripe peach on the nose along with a swath of minerality. The palate comes off as quite fruity, even on the verge of sweet (but I could not find any residual sugar [RS] levels online). Quite flavorful and intense with decent acidity (although it struggles to keep up slightly on the mid palate) and a hefty mouthfeel. Like many Rombauer wines, this Sauv Blanc is far from shy, but it certainly has an audience. Excellent. 90 Points.